Mike Looks Back: Fellow Jersey Boy Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi is coming up in concert at the New Meadowlands Stadium for three nights next week. I’ve been to his show before. In fact, I’ve been on stage with him. In Cleveland we had run into his manager the night before his show and he arranged to bring a group of us up on stage, off to the side. We stayed there for two or three songs. Then that group got off and the next group came up on stage, but they told me to just stay. So I wound up staying up there for almost the whole concert. I was actually behind Jon looking out at the crowd from his perspective. It was sensational.

Jon Bon Jovi and Mike Fratello at the Annual Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation Gala.

Jon and I first met at a Cleveland Browns game back when Bill Belichick was the head coach. Jon and I were both down on the field before the game. It was freezing, snowing. We were introduced and eventually I said, “Come on Jon, we sit in the box up there.” But he said, “No, I want to stay down here.” Then just before halftime he called me on the cell phone and said, “How do I get up there?” because it was so damn cold out on the field. So he came up and sat in the box with us for the rest of the game.

Jon is one of the nicest people you’ll meet. He’s also one of the hardest working guys I know. And he love sports – he’s a great sports enthusiast. He was one of the co-majority owners of the Philadelphia Soul AFL football team, which won the ArenaBowl in 2008. He’s also a Jersey guy who, like Frankie Valli and Bruce Springsteen, is one of the guys in the entertainment field who’s just done so much for the music industry. That‘s Jersey pride.